Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
Harbour View's Ronnie Amaguana (left) and Rivoli's Barrington Planter fight for a header during their Wray and Nephew National Premier League encounter at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium yesterday. Harbour View won the game 2-0. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
HARBOUR VIEW romped to a comfortable 2-0 win over Rivoli at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium yesterday, maintaining their slim lead atop the Wray and Nephew National Premier League.
Harbour View achieved their second win of the round - a feat that hasn't been regular - with goals from Lovel Palmer in the 54th and Donald Stewart in the 71st.
During a listless first half, where neither team really got going offensively, Rivoli got a glorious opportunity to go ahead when a good run from Kemar Mills had him through on goal, but a good save from Leighton Murray meant that the game would remain all square.
Leon Strickland also had a free header in the first half from a beautiful Stewart cross but failed to get it on target.
MVP
Stewart's first-half cross was the start of greater things to come as he was most certainly the MVP of the game.
It was Stewart who was hacked down in the box by Fabian Gordon to give Palmer a valuable penalty.
Stewart was again in the thick of things when he headed home a free kick from substitute Daniel Shaw.
Stewart's contribution, if not obvious from his involvement in the goals, couldn't be discounted from the many opportunities he created and the number of attacks he broke up.
After the game Harbour View coach Donovan Hayles, who has seen his team's Chelsea-like 15-point lead dwindle to 4, said while he was confident of winning the league his team still had some improvements to make.
"Its difficult because we need to start winning and not think about Waterhouse. The mental thing is what is getting the better of us now. However, I think that we are going to win this competition although we should have done it better than we are doing it now, but I have that confidence," he said.
The beleaguered Rivoli team slowed down badly towards the end of the game and their coach Calvert Fitzgerald has put that down to their physical conditioning.
"I don't think we are in the physical condition that Harbour View are in and we have to step up the pace and come back down, but Harbour View played hard running football right throughout," he said, of his relegation bound unit.
GOALSHEET
Harbour View 2
Lovel Palmer 54th, Donald Stewart 71st
Rivoli 0
